Cartridge feeding mechanism



11, 1947- w. M. BURGESS CARTRIDGE FEEDING MECHANISM Fil ed Feb. 26, 1942 .3 Sheets-Sheet l 1 Vi illlilfI/l/ /l/A i. a WWW IPHHUQM W Wilfrid M -EqurqE-sa w W W W M Feb. 11, 1947. w BURGESS 2,415,413

CARTRIDGE FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 26, 1942 .3 Sheets-Sheet 2 figj'l ll-lllil -ilill Feb. 11, w M ss CARTRIDGE FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 26, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 4 o 0 M "a m M Q Q L a E 4 Wilfrid M. Elungels-s my 44 W J/M Patented Feb. 11, 1947 CARTRIDGE FEEDING MECHANISM (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April 30, 1928; 3'70 0. G. 757) '3 Claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention pertains to a feed mechanism for an automatic gun and more particularly to a self-contained feed unit for advancing a lon belt of heavy cartridges to the receiver of a light automatic cannon.

l-leretofore it has not been the practice to feed 20 mm. and larger projectiles to an automatic weapon by means of a disintegrating belt of substantial length. Modern warfare places a pre mium upon the availability of an abundant supply of ammunition when it is immediately accessible for use in a rapid firing gun. Long con tinuous disintegrating belts of cartridges have proved to be a most satisfactory means for feeding a profuse supply of ammunition to a gun.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a feed mechanism which is capable of presenting a long interconnected series of moderately large projectiles on the order of 20 mm. or greater to the receiver of an automatic gun.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device for feeding a cartridge belt to a light automatic cannon by a substantially constant force.

A further object of the invention is to provide a. loaded spring device for feeding a cartridge belt to an automatic weapon at a constant torque with automatic means for returning to the spring the energy expended during the feeding operation.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a self-contained feed unit which accommodates a disintegrating link belt operatively threaded to a light automatic cannon.

The specific nature of the invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof will clearly appear from a description of a, preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a rear elevaticnal view of the feed mechanism with parts in section showing the device mounted on a gun adjacent its receiver. The un appears in phantom in transverse section and the figure is represented as looking in the direction of the muzzle end of the gun;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the hinged cover and associated belt guideway;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view thereof on the line 5- 5 of Fig. 3;

Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively end and right side elevational views thereof;

Fig. 7 is a plan View of the trough for pre senting cartridges to the receiver of the gun;

Fig. 8 is a right side elevational view of the gun with parts in section showing the trough or round positioning unit mounted in the receiver of the gun, the gun components being shown in phantom and the bolt in the firing position;

Figs. 9 and 10 are sectional views on the lines 9--9 and !Eil 0 respectively of Fig. 8;

Fig. 11 is a plan View of one of the feed sprockets;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged elevational view, partly in section, of the latch mechanism for the feed sprocket which functions when the ammunition supply is exhausted;

Fig. 13 is a sectional view on the line I3i3 of Fig. 2 showing the spring for driving the feed sprockets;

Fig. 14 is a plan view of the main drive shaft of the device;

Fig. 15 is a View in end elevation of the rocker arm for the main shaft;

Fig. 16 is a plan view of the body for assisting in winding the driving spring;

Fig. 1'? is a rear elevaticnal view thereof showing the holding pawls mounted therein;

Figs. 18 and 19 are respectively plan and rear elevational views of the spring winding ratchet;

Fig. 20 is a rear elevational view of the ratchet ring and its holding pawls;

I Fig. 21 is a sectional View of the ratchet ring ock;

Fig. 22 is an elevational View of the connecting rod;

Fig. 23 is an elevational view of the cam follower;

Fig. 24 is a right side elevational View of the cam.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, a frame I is rigidly secured by suitable means (not shown) to a device which is to be provided with an automatic cannon 2. The frame 1- houses a selfcontained feed unit. This unit does not have movement relative to the gun mount. An apron 3 is provided near the upper portion of the frame and serves to support a portion of a cartridge 'belt (not shown) which is being fed into the gun from the upper left. A cover l is hinged to the frame by pins 5 and is arranged to be secured near the opposite end to a pair of lugs 6 on a portion of the frame. The lugs 6 are provided with pivotally mounted bolts 1 which are adapted for movement into the slots in a pair of lugs 8 (Figs. 1 and 3) on the cover. Suitable nuts 9 on the bolts enable the assembly to be locked together.

The cover 4 is provided on its lower surface with a. pair of spaced T-shaped guide channels lEi, see Figs. 3-6. Each channel is adapted to support and guide a chain of clips detachably mounted on the nose and head ends of a row of cartridges. The cartridges in the disintegrating belt pass under the cover t and into the feed mechanism from left to. right as viewed in Figs. 1 and 3. Within the feeding device is a pair of feed sprockets ll-l l (Figs. 1 and 2) which engage cartridges in a section of the belt, and under certain conditions advance the cartridges toward the receiver l2 of the gun. The mechanism for actuating the feed sprockets Hl I will be described in detail later. The cover 4 is provided with a pair of arcuate cams I3 which strip the cartridges out of their clips and direct them into a body member 14 on the frame I. Portions of the sprockets rotate in the body member 14 and periodically depress cartridges into a trough 15. The upper end of the trough is lodged in body member l4 and the lower portion is detachably secured in a slide 16 adjacent the receiver l2 of the gun. Like the frame of the feed mechanism, the trough and the slide are fixed and have no movement with the gun,

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 24, a cam plate IT is secured to the side of the gun 2 by suitable means and is provided with a cam track I8. A cylindrical roller 19 is adapted to ride in the cam track and is rotatably mounted in a hollow follower 2|. The follower is in turn mounted in a transverse sleeve portion 22 of a vertical connecting rod 23; see also Figs. 22 and 23. The connecting rod is arranged to reciprocate in a bearing 24 mounted on the frame I. Fig. 1 shows the follower l9 and connecting rod 23 in their uppermost positions (see also Fig. 24) and ready to move downwardly through action of the cam l8 upon recoil of the gun, as will hereinafter appear. The upper end of the connecting rod is conditioned to receive a pivot pin 25 which couples a rocker arm 26 thereto. As shown in Fig. 15, the opening in the rocker arm 26, through which the pivot pin 25 extends to connect the upper end of the connecting rod 23, is elongated in the direction of a radius from the center of the rocker arm so that the necessary relative lateral looseness may be obtained as the rocker arm 26 oscillates. The rocker arm is mounted on the end of the hollow stem portion 21 of a body member 28 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The body member 28 is mounted on a main shaft 29 and is secured thereto for rotational movement therewith by a pin 30. Body member 28 is journalled in a suitable bearing 3! in the upper portion of the frame I. Rocker arm 26 is provided with a cylindrical collar 32 which has a pair of radially disposed arcuate grooves 33 for receiving the opposite ends of a pin 34 which passes through the main shaft 29; see also 4 Fig. 15. This pin is secured in position by a set screw 35 threaded into an axial bore 36 in one end of the shaft. This end of the shaft projects beyond the frame and body member 28 as in Fig. 2 and is conditioned at 3'! to receive a wrench.

Rotatably mounted on shaft 28 is a winding ratchet 38 having a toothed portion 39 and a neck portion ll as shown in Figs. 2, 18 and 19. Part of the toothed portion rests in a cylindrical chamber 4i centrally located in one end of the body member 28. The body member 28 is provided with three spaced recesses 42 in the rim portion 53; see Figs. 16 and 1'7. Each recess houses a spring urged pawl 44 which is conditioned to engage the teeth on the winding ratchet 38. Disposed about ratchet 38 in a manner similar to the body member 28 is a ring 45 which is lodged in a cylindrical chamber 48 in the frame i. The outer periphery of the ring is provided with a serrated portion 4? (Fig. 20) which is adapted to be engaged by the toothed end 18 of a T-shaped lock ll (Fig. 21) which projects through an aperture 50 in the frame and is secured thereto by a pair of bolts 5|; see also Figs. 1 and 2. This lock prevents the ring from rotating. A fiat ring 52 separates the adjacent faces of the body member 28 and the ring 45 and serves to reduce friction. The ring 45 is provided with recessed seats 53 for spring urged pawls 54 (Fig. 20) disposed as in the rim portion of the body member 28.

The other end of the main shaft 29 is journalled in the neck portion 55 of a spring housing 56. A suitable bearing 5'! journals this neck portion in the frame i. The housing 56 is generally a cup-shaped member and contains the drive spring 58, the outer end of which is secured to the inner wall of the housing by suitable means such as a lug 59 (Figs. 2 and 13). The inner end 65 of the spring is provided with a sharp bend and is lodged in a longitudinal groove (ii in the winding ratchet (Figs. 2, 13 and 1.8). A spacer 62 lies intermediate the end of the coiled spring and the ring 45. Secured to the base of the spring housing 56 by suitable fasteners 63 is a gear 64 intermeshed with a pinion 65 secured to sprocket shaft 66.

The winding shaft 29 is provided with a small bore 61 running from one end to an elongated diametrical slot 88. Pin 36 passes through this slot and also through two apertures 69 (Fig. 16) in the stem portion 21 of body member 28 to couple the shaft and body for conjoint rotation. A long red 79, threaded at its upper end H, is adapted to be seated in the bore and secured to its threaded portion 12. When the rod 70 is tightened, its lower end 13 is brought in registration with the pin 38 and secures the shaft 29 in its operative position as shown in Fig. 2. It will be noted in Figs. 2 and 16 that the lower end of body member 23 is provided with a notch 14 which receives the pin 3 1. Axial movement of shaft 29 will disengage the pin from this confining notch.

The driven sprocket shaft 66 is journalled in sleeve bearings 15 and i6 mounted in the frame I. A collar '6'! and pin 18 are secured to one end of the shaft to limit axial movement. The telescoping neck portions 79 and 80 of the sprocket l l and pinion 65 respectively are coupled to the shaft by a pin 8 l. The sprocket I I which is arranged to engage the head of a cartridge as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 has a neck portion 82 which is provided with a plurality of ratchet teeth 83; see also Figs. 11 and 12. This sprocket is 5 keyeada to the shaft by a diametrically disposed pin Referring to Figs. 1 and 12, there is shown a latch mechanism which operates in conjunction Withthe feed sprocket Ii. A bell crank lever 85 is pivotally mounted on a shaft 88 on the end of a brackett 8'1 which is secured to the frame I by convenient fasteners 88. An elongated finger 88 extends behind a bracket 99 so as to be engaged by the first few cartridges which are being picked up by the feed sprockets ii! I and fed toward the receiver 12 of the gun. The other arm ill of the bell crank is pivotally attached to a plunger 92 which is arranged to reciprocate in a guideway 93 in the lower end of bracket 98. A compression spring 9 3 is confined in a bore 95 in the plunger and bears against a notched spring seat 96 on the arm 9!. The spring 94 normally acts to force the front end 5'! of the plunger into engagement with a notch in the ratchet 83 on the drive sprocket H. When the finger 89 is depressed slightly by a cartridge as shown in Fig. 12, the bell crank is rocked clockwise, the spring 95 compressed an additional amount, and the plunger is retracted out of engagement with the ratchet 83. The absence of a cartridge or cartridges on the finger 89 permits the spring 94 to rock the bell crank 85 clockwise and the plunger 92 snaps into latching engagement with the ratchet 83. The purpose of the latch mechanism will be explained in another part of the specification.

In Figs. 7-9 there is shown a leaf spring 88 secured by set screws 99 to an inner side surface of the trough I5. This serves as a positioning device and prevents retrograde movement of a cartridge which is in position to be engaged by the front end of the bolt I Ilfl of the gun after reaching the end of recoil and thrust forward and out of the trough into the barrel chamber IEiI of the gun on counterrecoil. The lower rear end of the trough I5 is provided with a pair of downwardly tilted shoulders I02 for supporting the head end of a cartridge in an elevated position. The nose end however is free to drop downward upon recoil of the bolt Hi thereby directing the cartridge diagonally toward the barrel chamber lIiI. On counterrecoil, the front end of the bolt engages behind the head of the cartridge and slides it along and out of the shoulders IE2 and into the barrel chamber.

The operation of the device is as follows: A cartridge belt is carried over the apron 3 and inserted intothe feed passage under the cover 4 by directing the interconnected clips into the T-shaped guide channels Iii. The cartridges come into contact with the elongated finger 89, depress it and release the plunger 92 from engagement with the ratchet 83 on sprocket wheel I I. This allows the pair of feed sprockets to rotate and advance rounds to the trough I5 as shown in Fig. 1. Cam I3 acts to strip the cartridges within the influence of the sprocket wheels from their links as they pass into body member I4 and trough I5. The links continue along the guide channel I!) and are discharged therefrom.

The spring 58 which supplies the necessary toroue to the feed sprockets I in a manner to be explained later) has been partially unwound by the insertion of the belt into the feed mechanism. The next operation involves the manually winding of the spring to rov de the reouisite tornue for the automatic functioning of the device. This is accomplished in the following manner: When ratchet 38.

6 a, round appears in the trough l5 as shown in Figs. 1 and 8, rod It is rotated so as to disengage its threaded upper end ll from the threaded portion 12 of bore 81. The winding shaft 29 may now be displaced axially a distance slightly less than the length of the slot 68. This removes pin 35 from the confines of the grooves 33 and I4 in the rocker arm 26 and the body member 23 respectively. Shaft 29 can then be rotated independently of the connecting rod assembly by applying a wrench to the square head 31. When the shaft 29 is rotated counterclockwise as viewed in Figs. 1 and 13, the spring 58 is wound tight. The shaft is then forced back into its original position as shown in Fig. 2, engagement made with the rocker arm 26 and body member 28,

and the rod Iii tightened into the bore of shaft 29 thereby securing the shaft against axial movement. This imparts the proper tension in the spring 58 and the feeder is then ready to function automatically.

When the gun 2 is fired, it moves backward as viewed in Fig. 1. Since cam I! is secured thereto it recoils with the gun. The recoil of the gun causes the cam track I8 (Fig. 24) to depress the roller #9 lodged in the follower 2%. This movement is transmitted to the connecting rod 23 causing it to be lowered. As a result rocker arm 2% is swung clockwise (Fig. 1) thereby rotating with it the shaft 29 and body member 28. Clockwise movement of the body member causes the pawls Ml seated therein to slip over the teeth of the winding ratchet 38 as may be perceived from an observation of Fig. 17. The winding ratchet is secured against clockwise rotation by the action of pawls 54 which are housed in the fixed ring 45, see Fig. 20.

When the gun 2 recoils, conventional mechanism on the bolt Iilii extracts the cartridge case from the barrel chamber I0! and ejects it from the receiver. Recoil carries the bolt back from the position shown in Fig, 8 and enables a new cartridge to be thrust into the receiver from the trough I5 by the spring loaded sprockets I I-I I'. Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 13, it will be observed that the energized spring 58 is coiled so as to unwind and rotate counterclockwise the spring housing 55 since the inner end of the spring is lodged in notch 60 on the presently stationary Gear 64 rotates counterclockwise with the housing and imparts clockwise rotation to pinion 65. This turns the sprocket shaft 66 and its associated sprockets I I-I I clockwise and forces a cartridge into the trough I5 where it is held by the pair of shoulders I02. The movement of the sprockets also pulls a section of the disintegrating belt into the feed mechanism. The bolt If!!! on counterrecoil carries this cartridge into the barrel chamber IUI, and closes the lower end of the trough as shown in Fig. 8, Further rotation of the sprocket wheels and the spring casing 58 is thereby prevented as long as the bolt is in this position.

Spring -58 has been partially unwound or deenergized by the recoil movement of the gun. The counterrecoil of the gun will now be utilized to restore this lost energy to the spring.

On counterrecoil the follower 2| and connecting rod, 23 are carried upward by the cam track I8 to the position shown in Fig. 1. During this stroke of the connecting rod the arm 25 is rocked counterclockwise. This moves the body member 28 in the same direction and permits the pawls M (Fig. 1'7) to engage behind the teeth of the ratchet wheel 38 and rotate it counterclockwise.

7 As a result the inner end 60 of the spring 58 (Fig. 13) is wound counterclockwise so as to tighten it and restore the energy which had been consumed during the operation of moving the belt and feeding a cartridge into the trough [5.

When the gun is fired again this automatic sequence of operations is repeated. It will be apparent that periodic unwinding and rewinding of the coil spring provides a substantially constant torque for feeding cartridges to the gun.

When the last cartridge of the disintegrating belt is carried beyond the cam I3, the elongated finger 89 snaps upward due to a lack of pressure thereon by a cartridge and the plunger 92 is forced into a notch in the ratchet portion 83 of sprocket H. This locks the sprocket organization and prevents further unwinding of the spring 58. A new belt is then threaded to the feed mechanism as previously explained, the spring 58 energized manually and the device is again ready for automatic operation in conjunction with the gun.

By backing off nuts 53 and swinging pivoted bolts 7 from engagement with slotted lugs 8, the cover t may be lifted for observation of the feed passages.

I claim:

1. In combination with an automatic gun hav-- ing a portion thereof arranged to reciprocate in its mount when fired, a cartridge feed mechanism having a frame secured to a fixed portion of the gun, a cartridge guide in said frame, a counter shaft journalled in the frame, a pair of spaced cartridge feed sprockets on the counter shaft and extending into the guide, a ratchet coupled to one of the sprockets, a yielding latch for engagement with the ratchet of said sprocket, a contact finger on said latch disposed in said cartridge guide adjacent the feed sprocket, said latch organization being arranged to permit rotation of the sprockets in event of the presence of a cartridge on the finger in the guide and to prevent rotation in the absence of a cartridge thereon, a shaft journalled in the frame, a coiled spring around said shaft, a member rotatable on the shaft and having one end of the spring secured thereto, said member being arranged in driving engagement with the countershaft, a ratchet wheel rotatable on the shaft and having the other end of the spring secured thereto, holding pawls in said frame arranged to permit unidirectional rotation of the ratchet Wheel, a body member including driving pawls coupled to the shaft and in operative engagement with the ratchet wheel, a crank and reciprocating connecting rod coupled to the body member for imparting oscillatory movement thereto, a cam on the reciprocating portion of the gun, a follower on the connecting rod in engagement with th cam, said cam and follower being adapted upon recoil and counter recoil of the gun to reciprocate the connecting rod and rock the crank, said spring being arranged for deenergization ineffecting a feeding operation on recoil of the gun and reenergization after a feeding operation upon counter recoil of the gun.

2. In a cartridge feed mechanism, a frame, a cartridge guide in the frame, a rotatable shaft having cartridge feed sprockets thereon with portions extending into the guide, means for rotating the shaft and thereby the sprockets, a ratchet wheel fastened on said shaft, an elongated finger pivoted on the frame and extending into the cartridge guide in the path of movement of the cartridge, a plunger slidab-ly mounted on the frame adjacentthe ratchet wheeland normally 8 in engagement with the ratchet to prevent its rotation, said plunger connected with the finger and arranged to be withdrawn from the ratchet when the finger is depressed by a cartridge to permit the rotation of the shaft.

3. In a cartridge feed mechanism, a frame, a cartridge guide in the frame, a rotatable shaft mounted in the frame and having cartridge feed means thereon, means for rotating the shaft to feed the cartridges, a latch mechanism for normally holding said shaft against rotation, com prising a member on the shaft and a latch member yieldingly supported adjacent the member on the shaft and movable into and out of engagement with said shaft carried member, a member rockably supported in the frame and having a, portion extending into the cartridge guide into the path of movement of the cartridges and arranged to be depressed by a cartridge, and connections between the rockable member and the yieldingly supported latch member whereby when the rockable member is depressed, the latch members will be released to permit the feeding of the cartridges.

a. A carrier for clips of a disintegrating cartridge belt comprising a frame having a guideway for carrying a cartridge belt, a cover for said guideway having a pair of straight elongated parallel portions each provided with a recess T- shaped in cross section to receive and support cartridge clips having portions appearing in end elevation in a shape corresponding to said recesses, and a cam carried by said cover at the side of each recess and intermediate the length of the carrier to strip the cartridge from the clips as they advance through the carrier.

5. In a cartridge feed mechanism, a gun, a frame secured to a fixed portion of the gun, a cartridge guide in the frame, an oscillating winding shaft and a rotatable driven shaft spaced apart and mounted in adjacent parallel relation in the frame, feed sprockets on the driven shaft with portions extending into the cartridge guide to feed the cartridges therethro-ugh, a rotatable housing around the winding shaft, a gear on the housing meshed with a pinion. on the driven shaft whereby when the housing is rotated in counterclockwise direction the driven shaft will be rotated to feed a cartridge, a ratchet on the winding shaft and having a portion extending into the housing, a tensioned drive spring connecting said housing and ratchet portion, an oscillating pawl carrier on the winding shaft, pawls in said carrier engaging said ratchet to rotate it in a counterclockwise direction upon counterrecoil of the gun, holding pawls in the frame in engagement with ratchet to prevent retrograde movement of said ratchet, a rocker arm fastened to he pawl carrier, a reciprocating rod mounted in the frame and pivotally connected with said arm, a cam on a moving part of the gun, a member carried by the rod and engaging the cam, said cam being shaped to raise the rod upon counterreceil to rotate the ratchet counterclockwise to restore the energy of the spring expended in rotating the driven shaft.

6. The invention of claim 5 characterized in that the oscillating pawl carrier is provided with a sleeve forming a bearing in the frame for the winding shaft, said sleeve extending beyond the frame for attachment to the rocker arm.

7. The invention of claim 5 characterized in that the winding shaft is provided with a bore having a threaded upper portion, a removable rod in said bore having a threaded portion en- 9 gaging the threads in the bore to hold the rod in normal position, an elongated slot in the winding shaft and a pin in the ratchet sleeve extending through said-slot, said rod engaging the pin to hold it normally in the lower end of the slot but arranged to permit axial movement of the winding shaft upon removal of the rod, means for locking the rocker arm to the winding shaft, said means being releasable upon the axial movement of the winding shaft in one direction to permit complete rotation of said shaft for winding the driving spring independently of the rocker arm.

' WILFRID M. BURGESS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Ternstrom Jan. 23, 1900 Celleoni June 7, 1910 Purcell May 25, 1915 Sturgeon Jan, 7, 1919 Brown Dec. 27, 1921 Allender Aug. 11, 1885 Dabrasky et a1 Apr. 4, 1933 Browning Nov. 20, 1928 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date British July 27, 1914 British Feb. 21, 1930 British Sept. 26, 1941 

